Ontario Mark III Trench Knife Fixed (6.56 Inch 1095 Carbon Steel Phosphate Coated Plain Bayonet Style Blade) Brown Leather Handle + Leather Sheath 8155

I would have given this 5 stars, but the Parkerization on the pommel is only on the flat surface, not the side. I found that the side of the pommel is just painted and the paint rubbed off in a small spot and I could remove a lot of it with my fingernail. I quickly fixed it with matt black spray paint, but I had to drop a star.

I own dozens of knives and this one is, by far, my favorite. I carried an original WWII M3 on me during my deployments to Afghanistan, but when the leather began cracking and splitting on the handle, I replaced it with this one from Ontario. I can't say how much I love this knife. It is made from a real hard-working, hard-wearing 1095 steel and not a brittle stainless steel like 98% of the other "tactical" knives out there. Some people have complained about the finish on the leather - or the lack thereof - but that is one of the best things about this knife; it has classic stacked leather that has a good, firm grip to it that isn't slippery like what you get with a Kabar and the like. My knife's fit and finish was amazing! The only complaint that I have is that the cross guard isn't bent as much as my original Camillus. There is no flair to this knife, but a combat knife shouldn't be pretty anyways. It is just simple, durable, and deadly. It's design is nearly 75 years old but it is just as useful and deadly now as it was back then when placed in the right, well-educated hands.